Writing the Family Saga

Now is the time to keep the stories of your ancestors alive.

Adventure or romance, tragedy or triumph, legends of extraordinary feats or quiet tales of everyday struggles. What kinds of stories are there in your family tree? Writing the Family Saga provides you with an opportunity to develop key skills for writing fiction and/or non-fiction based on genealogical records. You will learn about crafting and polishing engaging and readable multigenerational family history narratives.

Online:Writing the Family Saga is part of a fully online suite of units which enable flexible study. It is one of four 100-level units available in the Diploma of Family History. Students must complete four foundation-level units and four 100-level units to complete the Diploma.

From 2018, HECS Scholarships may be available for domestic students^ that cover 50% of the tuition fees* for Writing the Family Saga. Students will also be required to pay the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) for 2018 when enrolled in Writing the Family Saga. HECS-HELP is available for domestic students wishing to defer remaining fees. * Conditions apply. See Fees & Scholarships for details.

Free access to Ancestry.com Library: Gain free access to billions of historical documents, millions of historical photos, plus local narratives, oral histories and other resources that span from the 1500s to the 2000s.

What you will learn

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

Use a wide range of techniques for writing narratives based on your genealogical research.

Write constructive feedback to help other student writers to improve their draft narrative.

What students say...

"I had been researching my family history for years and thought I had already found pretty much all there was to find. But the Introduction to Family History course pointed me towards new resources, sharpened up my research skills and led to new discoveries. It also helped me navigate through the maze of web-based resources and to identify the reliable ones."- Lisa Hutton, Australian, living in France

Fees & Scholarships

From 2018, Diploma of Family History students who study the 100-level unit Writing the Family Saga may be eligible to receive 50% HECS Scholarship on tuition fees, with a student contribution of $402.50. For domestic students^ this cost may be deferred under the HECS-HELP Scheme. For further information on HECS-HELP consult the Australian Tax Office (ATO) guidelines.

The HECS scholarship is applied to your record as soon as possible after you enrol in the Writing the Family Saga unit within the Diploma of Family History or another College of Arts, Law and Education approved course. Initially, your invoice in eStudent may reflect the full cost of the unit. Sometimes it may take up to a week after your enrolment is processed, but please be assured your correct invoice will appear in eStudent after this time.

Students will also be required to pay the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) for 2018 when enrolled in Writing the Family Saga. The cost of the SSAF is $44.70 per unit. This amount can be deferred through the SA-HELP form on eStudent for domestic students. SA-HELP eligibility can be confirmed at How do I defer my SSAF?.
The funds from this fee are allocated to the improvement of services and amenities for students of the University for both on-campus and online students.

A requirement for all students receiving a HECS Scholarship for this unit is compulsory completion of the eCAF. The eCAF (electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form) is a government form that is available online through eStudent. Completing
the form is a requirement for all students. Instructions for how to complete the eCAF form will be included in the Writing the Family Saga unit content. Also see eCAF Instruction Guide (PDF 531KB).

^ Domestic students include Australian citizens or students holding Permanent Humanitarian Visas or with Permanent Resident Status. Citizens of countries outside of Australia (excluding New Zealand), are not eligible to study this unit.

The Family History units are available to Australian citizens; and for NZ citizens, Permanent Residents and Humanitarian Visa Holders provided all studies are on-shore in Australia. You will need to have access to a computer and a reliable internet connection.

When do I receive my free access to the Ancestry.com Library?

You will receive details about your access to Ancestry.com on the MyLO page once you begin the unit. Students will be able to access this via the Library portal once they are enrolled.

What are the dates for the next offering of this unit?

The next offering of Writing the Family Saga will run from 2nd July- 24th August 2018.

You should expect to spend approximately 6-8 hours/week undertaking study in this unit. After completing the unit, you should be able to:

Use a wide range of techniques for writing narratives based on your genealogical research.

Write constructive feedback to help other student writers to improve their draft narrative.

Act on feedback received to improve your own writing.

Is there any face-to-face teaching?

No. Writing the Family Saga is fully online.

I don't own a computer; can I still apply for the unit?

You will need to have access to a computer to complete this unit. If you don't have your own computer, or perhaps someone in your family or a friend has one, you could use a computer at your local library, on campus in student areas, or at the university library.

You also require a reliable internet connection. You should expect to download about 1-2 GB of data each month while studying the unit online.

Do I need to be available online at specific times?

Generally you can complete the unit work in your own time. Please note that content is usually released on a weekly or fortnightly basis. The unit coordinators may choose to present some content in the form of a live web conference. You will be made aware of this via news items during the semester.

Are there exams or assignments?

There will be ongoing assessments throughout the semester. Assessments could include such items as online quizzes composed of multiple-choice and short answer questions (some of which may be time-limited), online discussion forums, e-tivities and/or presenting your genealogical work. There are no exams for this unit.

Who would benefit from studying Family History?

Anyone interested in their own family histories or genealogy in general.

What is the Diploma of Family History?

The Diploma of Family History is a course consisting of eight family history units. Students will automatically be enrolled under the Diploma when they apply for Writing the Family Saga.

Why is the University offering these units with concession tuition fees?

From time to time the University of Tasmania offers some units with concession fees. These are generally online units which help increase community awareness and skills in areas such as healthy living and social engagement.

For many potential students, the cost of university study is a significant barrier; and those who haven't studied for some time appreciate the opportunity to develop confidence in their ability to succeed at university without the pressure of tuition fees. In addition, we believe that the development of skills in these units is critical to community advancement and social cohesion – and these concessions are part of meeting our university's broad community obligation.

What do I need to do to enrol and what support is available?

Students must enrol in a formal course (i.e. a diploma, associate degree or bachelor degree) to take advantage of these opportunities. Enrolling in a unit will enrol you in the relevant course for that unit. Our courses aim to build confidence and capacity to develop a pathway to success.

We hope that you will be encouraged by the quality and flexibility of these particular units, and the academic support available, to continue with further study and complete a course. We are aware of the need to manage work-life balance, and we offer flexible learning plans that can help tailor a program to suit individual circumstances. We work closely with our students to support their progression through these learning opportunities.

Is it a requirement that I complete a full course at the University of Tasmania?

A high proportion of students undertaking these units go on to complete a course. We realise that students' circumstances change due to financial and family commitments and there is no formal obligation to complete a course if your circumstances make that difficult.

It is possible to have a break from study and return at a later date and to change course, if your interests change. We are also planning to develop shorter qualifications such as diplomas and associate degrees which will take less time to complete.

Applications for the next offering will open closer to the commencement date. Please complete an Expression of Interest if you would like to be notified when information about the next intake is released.

What supporting documents do I need to apply for Writing the Family Saga?

If you are required to provide Citizenship documentation (if you have changed citizenship and are now an Australian citizen) or Permanent residency documentation (if you are not an Australian citizen but living under a permanent residency visa in Australia) you can scan and email them to us at ASC.Contact@utas.edu.au.

After you have received your login details you will also be required to submit an eCAF. The eCAF (electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form) is a government form that is available online, after you have received your login details, through eStudent.

What is the cost of this unit?

In 2018, Writing the Family Saga may be available to eligible domestic students with a 50% HECS scholarship on tuition fees, with a student contribution of $402.50, within the Diploma of Family History or another College of Arts, Law and Education approved course. HECS-HELP is available for Domestic Students wishing to defer their Student Contribution Amount. For further information on HECS-HELP consult the Australian Tax Office (ATO) guidelines.

Students will also be required to pay the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) for 2018 when enrolled in Writing the Family Saga. The cost of the SSAF is $44.70 per unit. This amount can be deferred through the SA-HELP form on eStudent for domestic students. SA-HELP eligibility can be confirmed at How do I defer my SSAF?.

The HECS Scholarship is automatically applied when you enrol in the Writing the Family Saga unit, however may not show on your invoice, accessible via eStudent, until a later date.

What is a HECS Scholarship?

The cost of university education is usually shared between the Australian Government and the student, with the student contributing a proportion of the cost and payable to the university. This tuition fee is commonly known as HECS (Higher Education Contribution Scheme). The University of Tasmania has offered to forgo half of the student contribution via a HECS Scholarship to approved students studying the Writing the Family Saga unit within the Diploma of Family History or another College of Arts, Law and Education approved course in 2018. This arrangement will be negotiated each year and is only guaranteed for one year at a time.

The HECS Scholarship is automatically applied when you enrol in the Writing the Family Saga unit, however may not show on your invoice, accessible via eStudent, until a later date.

Students will also be required to pay the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) for 2018 when enrolled in Writing the Family Saga. The cost of the SSAF is $44.70 per unit. This amount can be deferred through the SA-HELP form on eStudent for domestic students. SA-HELP eligibility can be confirmed at How do I defer my SSAF?. The funds from this fee are allocated to the improvement of services and amenities for students of the University for both on-campus and online students.

What is an eCAF?

The eCAF (electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form) is a government form that is available online through eStudent. Completing the eCAF allows you to choose to defer the partial payment for this unit onto HECS-HELP. This form is required for all students, despite the preferred payment option for the partial cost of this unit. Instructions for how to complete the eCAF form will be included in the unit content. Also see eCAF Instruction Guide (PDF 531KB).

When do applications close for the next offering of this unit?

Applications will close at 5pm on Friday 29th June 2018.

How will I know if my application is successful and if I have received a place in Writing the Family Saga?

If you are a new student, once your application has been assessed, and if you have been successful, you will receive a letter/email from the university with details about your new University of Tasmania student username, email address and password. You will use your username and password to access the course content (through the MyLO online learning platform), as well as eStudent to manage your enrolment details and to submit your eCAF.

Please allow 10 working days for us to process your application however if you have not received an email or letter with your password/login details after 10 days, please complete the Have A Question? form so that we check your application.

If you are a current or returning UTAS student, you will receive confirmation of your enrolment in the week before the unit starts. You will not receive new login details but will continue using those already assigned to you. If your password has expired you can change this through the MyPassword Service.

What happens if my application is not successful? Will someone contact me?

All applicants will be advised about the outcome of their application.

What happens if I begin the unit after the official start date?

The Writing the Family Saga unit is delivered fully online. For this reason, you can study flexibly to make up for any time that you may have missed. Please note however that there will be assessment tasks due on certain dates, so please contact us by email ASC.Contact@utas.edu.au, phone +61 3 6226 6365, or the Contact Us online form to discuss starting the unit late.

If you have forgotten your login details, please contact please contact the UTAS IT Service Desk for assistance: Ph +61 3 6226 1818 (8:30am-6:00pm weekdays and 10:00am-1:00pm weekends and Tasmanian state wide public holidays) or 1300 304 903 (local call charge within Tasmania) or Email: service.desk@utas.edu.au.

What is an eCAF?

The eCAF (electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form) is a government form that is available online through eStudent. Completing the eCAF allows you to choose to defer the partial payment for this unit onto HECS-HELP. This form is required for all students, despite the preferred payment option for the partial cost of this unit. Instructions for how to complete the eCAF form will be included in the unit content. Also see eCAF Instruction Guide (PDF 531KB).

What is Census date?

Every unit offered by a university has a published census date. Census date is the last day a student can withdraw from a unit without receiving a financial penalty. Withdrawals after this date will incur a financial penalty for the 50% unit fee. Later withdrawals may also incur an academic penalty. Withdrawals after this date will incur a financial penalty for the 50% unit fee. Later withdrawals may also incur an academic penalty. The Census date for the 2018 offering of Writing the Family Saga is 13th July 2018. For withdrawal enquiries, please contact us by email ASC.Contact@utas.edu.au, phone +61 3 6226 6365, or the Contact Us online form.

There will be ongoing assessments throughout the semester. Assessments could include such items as online quizzes composed of multiple-choice and short answer questions (some of which may be time-limited), online discussion forums, e-tivities and/or presenting your genealogical work.

The Writing the Family Saga unit is delivered fully online. For this reason, you can study flexibly to make up for any time that you may have missed. Please note however that there will be assessment tasks due on certain dates, so please contact us by email ASC.Contact@utas.edu.au, phone +61 3 6226 6365, or the Contact Us online form to discuss starting the unit late.

I have completed my unit. How do I obtain my results?

The official release of results will occur on the date specified in the UTAS calendar. These results will be accessible from 9am on the specified date and are accessible via your eStudent account.

Can I use my Writing the Family Saga unit result as credit towards a degree?